I first wrote In Mind We Trust, the sequel to Justice Is Mind, about a year after Justice Is Mind was released. Unlike The First World Universe (First Signal, etc.), there were no plans to write a sequel—at the time. But as Justice Is Mind’s theatrical screenings were well attended, and the film was positively reviewed, I took a second look when I started to see more articles about the mind reading technology postulated in Justice Is Mind.

After I wrote In Mind We Trust, the screenplay sat as I was pulled into other active projects. But then something started to happen over the last couple of years, mind reading technology was exploding. With numerous companies, including those in artificial intelligence, getting in on this frontier, the time was right to introduce In Mind We Trust to the festival market.

I’m delighted to report that, to date, In Mind We Trust has won two film festivals, been a finalist in two others, and been officially selected for another three. My heartfelt thanks to the festival juries that have found my story worthy of selection. In Mind We Trust marks the second script I have entered into the festival market which is a sequel. The first was First Launch, the sequel to First Signal. What’s great to know is that festivals are receptive to considering sequels at the screenplay stage.

As for the First World Universe, I’ve started rereading First Report and First Launch as I prepare to rewrite First World, which is the apex of this science fiction saga.   First World was the first screenplay I wrote almost twenty years ago. While I’m immensely proud of it, I know it needs an update based on the previous three stories and some new characters I’ve introduced. In particular, the character of Major Sampson didn’t exist in First World but was introduced in First Signal and will now anchor part of the revised First World.

When I was living in Los Angeles many years ago, where I originally wrote First World, I was advised by a producer to always have other scripts and projects ready to go as you never know which one may take. In other words, being a one-story screenwriter/filmmaker just wasn’t going to cut it. That advice alone was probably the best I ever received during my time in the City of Angels.

On the other side of the camera, the official trailer for Stonegate, where I play Father Clayton, was released a couple of weeks ago. The well received trailer led to a sell-out of the world premiere on May 18^th.

Finally, I’m looking forward to returning to figure skating in a couple of weeks where I’ll be attending the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston. Look for my reports here on The Ashton Times and my social media channels.

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